Carats are the traditional measuring unit of a diamond's weight, one carat
equaling 200 milligrams. A carat is divided into 100 "points," so the
same diamond can be represented as weighing a carat and a half, 150 points
or 1.50 carats. One mistake that folks make is to not realize that carat
weight is not always linked to the same "look" in diamonds. What I mean
is that a diamond which is rather deep and has (for example) a thick girdle
can be "greatly smaller visually" than a diamond of the same carat weight
that is well cut and not as deep, which also has a girdle description
that is more center range. Now, this can be a big different here, so do
think about what this means... The average size diamond we sell today
is about 0.75 carats or right at the 6mm range approximately, which is
a very nice size diamond indeed... Diamonds prices are very carat weight
sensitive, and the per carat price is where you can see that reflected
the best... The price for the same quality and color in a diamond twice
the size might well cost five times the price or more, so be aware of
the fact that for the carat diamond shopper exploring the ranges of say
0.85-0.99 carats can save you hundreds and hundreds of dollars, if not
thousands!!!!
Biggest bang fer the buck?
Is bigger always better? Well, this is not at all true with the weight/size
of diamonds.... A big ugly stone isn't better than a smaller eye clean
one, guaranteed! I like to remind my customers that a very yellow or included
large stone is much less attractive than a well cut, clean white smaller
version of the same cut. While the depth of the stone will affect its
size, the carat measurement indicates its true mass and weight. With each
weight category increase (quarter, third, half), the value per carat of
a diamond will increase significantly (given all have the same other factors).
rfection, but again this is as good as it gets, and that is a fact...
Diamond prices as the weight goes up?
A stone which is twice as large as an otherwise identical smaller stone
might be three or more times more expensive. So while you might see a
price for a smaller stone at $2,000 per carat, as you price the same cut,
color and clarity in a larger stone you'll see dramatic increases. Geometric
increases at each weight catagory are to be expected, it's often "way"
less money to buy a .97 or .98 carat diamond than to buy the same grade
in a 1.00 or 1.01ct (above this 1ct. catagory)... While the size difference
is nearly impossible to visually detect the price differences for the
per carat price are significantly different with a "light half carat"...
Keep this in mind when you go pricing stones, and you'll definitely end
up with a better value...
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